Samsung on Saturday unveiled its 4G LTE compatible smartphone Galaxy Alpha that will be available for Rs.39,990 from October first week, a company official said here. Asim Warsi, vice president of mobile and IT division of Samsung India, said: “The phone will be available at a price of around Rs.39,990 but the MRP (maximum retail price) of Galaxy Alpha is Rs.42,000. Handsets tend not to sell at MRP, they settle at a market operating price.”

Samsung launched the new Galaxy Alpha smartphone in India today. The device is priced at ₹39,990 ($654). The Galaxy Alpha is Samsung’s first smartphone after a while to have a metal-body. It uses an anodized aluminum frame with chamfered edges on the side. The specs of the phone are mostly that of a flagship device but in a smaller body, and as such, it will be competing directly against the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, which was recently launched in India for ₹44,990. The Galaxy Alpha will be available in black, white, and gold starting next week. Due to a decision taken by Samsung India recently, the Galaxy Alpha, along with the upcoming Galaxy Note 4, will only be sold through offline retailers.